APPA is holding its Spring Education Institute on May 6 through 10, in Omaha (at the Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District).
 
At the Institute, APPA offer week-long tracks of courses (15 classes total). These courses are designed to offer progressive — basic, intermediate, and advanced — training within the different subject areas, and attendees earn continuing education credits for participating (CEUs, CPEs, and PDHs). 
 
Topics include:

• Accounting (3 courses)
• Cost of service and rate design (3 courses)
• Electrical distribution principles, applications, and improvements (2 courses)
• Energy efficiency and distributed energy resources (5 courses)
• Public power leadership (3 courses)

 
The Institute also features two popular certificate programs, which are only offered once a year:

• Public Power Manager Certificate Program
• Energy Efficiency Management Certificate Program

 
Attendees receive a $50 discount per course when they sign up by April 15 and a $100 discount for attending more than one class.

The rule will make significant changes to classification
 
On March 7, 2019, the Department of Labor issued the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Final FLSA Overtime Rule. It was put on hold in December 2016 by a nationwide
injunction.
 
The Final Rule makes significant changes to which employees will now qualify as “exempt.” Many employees who were previously treated as exempt will now be converted to non-exempt employees who are entitled to overtime.

• What do the Final Rule revisions mean for employers?
• How will the Final Rule change classification for your current employees?
• What impact will the changes have on overtime expenses?
• What are the proper methods for classifying employees?

What changes to “white-collar exemptions” will apply?
 
Discover answers to these questions and additional information at an upcoming webinar:
 
Final FLSA Overtime Rule Issued by DOL:
What You Need to Know
 
Wednesday, April 10
1 PM Eastern; 12 PM Central; 11 AM Mountain; 10 AM Pacific
 
Register Now
 
Who should attend?

• HR
• In-house counsel
• Financial officers
• CEOs

Credits: 1.5 general recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute; 1.5 PDCs for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP

IAMU will be offering a Gas “Boot Camp” Operator Qualification Training Workshop next week - April 1st-5th, 2019 at the IAMU Training & Office Complex.

This workshop is designed to give personnel new to the natural gas industry all of the basic fundamentals needed to aid in the day-to-day operations as well as the ability to perform certain "On-Call" tasks.

In addition, any office personnel who may receive a report of a natural gas leak (Dispatch personnel) should attend to obtain all the qualifications that are needed to perform their duties.

This workshop is also beneficial to natural gas operators who are looking to gain additional training, re-qualify on tasks offered, as well as providing a great opportunity to network with other operators from around the State addressing problems, concerns, techniques, etc.

Click here to register, and for additional information.

IAMU will hold a Trenching and Shoring Competent Person Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on April 11 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex.

OSHA requires a competent person be onsite at every excavation. The competent person is required to evaluate site safety and resolve existing and potential hazards. 

This workshop is designed for city and utility employees and outside contractors employed by a city, or anyone working in a trenching and shoring situation.  It is an excellent opportunity to become qualified as a competent person (or stay current with the responsibilities).

The DNR has approved 0.6 CEUs for WD and WW only.

The training received will cover the overall requirements of the law, including:

• Employee Safety
• Dealing with traffic
• Soil identification
• Emergency equipment
• Determining if shoring is needed
• Proper methods of trenching and shoring

Contact the contractors that work for your city/utility and encourage them to register and attend.

For more information or to register - Click here.

The latest edition of IAMU's Toolbox Talks - Hand Washing is now available.  Click here to download it.

Other Toolbox Talk articles are available here.

If you have a Toolbox Talk idea, please send it to Margret Meade.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Energy Center (IEC) board have launched two financial assistance programs that support projects and initiatives that align with the Iowa Energy Plan and IEC’s activities. The IEC Grant Program and Alternate Energy Revolving Loan Program (AERLP) have been designed to facilitate energy-related economic development in Iowa.

“We’re pleased to launch the Energy Center’s grant and loan programs and encourage interested Iowans to submit innovative, impactful and diverse projects that maximize the energy-economic benefits throughout our state,” said Debi Durham, Director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority. “Energy is an important resource and key economic advantage for Iowa and these program offerings will provide new opportunities for collaboration and spark innovation,” said Durham. 

The IEC Grant Program is funded by gas and electric utilities across Iowa and is open to Iowa businesses, colleges and universities and private nonprofit agencies and foundations. The program provides grants to eligible applicants for projects that provide a benefit to Iowa’s electric and natural gas utility customers. Projects must also aid in the implementation of at least one of the seven key focus areas of the Iowa Energy Plan. Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $1,000,000; however, most grants awarded will be in the $150,000-to-$300,000 range. The IEC board will make at least one funding announcement per fiscal year and the application process will include both a pre-application and application phase. Pre-applications for the program are due April 19, 2019 and accepted through IowaGrants.gov. 

The AERLP provides zero-interest loans to eligible borrowers for alternate energy production projects, including but not limited to solar, wind, biomass. and combined heat and power. The AERLP can improve the feasibility of energy projects for businesses, farmers, individuals, water and wastewater utilities, and rural water and sanitary districts. Loan amounts may range from $25,000 to $1 million and cover up to 50 percent of eligible project costs. The IEC board will make funding decisions at least once per quarter and loans will be administered by IEDA. The first deadline for applications is May 31, 2019 and applications are accepted through IowaGrants.gov.

The Iowa Energy Center has historically offered financial assistance for energy-related projects. When management of, and responsibility for, the IEC transitioned to IEDA by legislative mandate in October 2017, the board began evaluating existing projects and putting together the framework for the new programs launched today. The IEC board members are governor-appointed and represent academia, state government, and Iowa utilities. The list of current IEC board members is available here.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of careful and collaborative work by the Energy Center Board, IEDA staff and stakeholders to design innovative finance programs that build upon Iowa’s energy leadership and support the Energy Plan’s vision and goals,” said Tim Whipple, IEC Board Chair and General Counsel for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.

For additional information, please visit iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/energycenter.

The next edition of CBAN's "Lunch and Learn" webinar series addresses a looming issue for cities across the nation: the FCC's 5G and Small Cell Order.

5G and Small Cell: What Cities Need To Know will be held on Thursday, March 28th at Noon CDT. Ken Demlow of HR Green will review the FCC's order outlining what cities must do to enact local control over the siting of 5G and small cell wireless facilities. That order is due to go into effect on April 15th, and many communities may not have addressed the issue yet.

The webinar is limited to 100 attendees and advance registration is required. To register in advance for this meeting, go to the following link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/8cf34323bd97d8cd66858a512be5123a 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You are encouraged to register early to ensure your participation. However, the webinar will be recorded and made available afterwards at www.broadbandaction.com.

For more information on the FCC's order and possible impacts on cities, CLICK HERE for an article at www.broadbandnow.com.

 Important! Please bring the following items to the workshop:

• IDNR Draft CCR mailed in March 2019
• If you operate a surface water system: You must bring your turbidity information. Highest single measurement and the lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting turbidity limits from 2018 calendar year
• If you add Fluoride, bring the highest and lowest lab results from 2018
• Jump (flash) drive for ease of saving

Hope to see you there!

Southwest Iowa continues to deal with massive flooding. Here is the latest updated from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the flooding’s impact on water supplies.
 
SOUTHWEST IOWA – This morning the City of Glenwood's water treatment plant was inundated by the floodwaters, forcing the plant to be shut down and city officials have issued a boil water advisory.
 
Trucks will be hauling approximately 300,000 gallons per day from the cities of Red Oak and Shenandoah to Glenwood's water treatment plant in the meantime.
 
Glenwood's water treatment plant connection to the City of Pacific Junction has been completely shut off to conserve what water is remaining. 
 
Earlier this week, the City of Hamburg's water treatment plant was inundated by floodwaters and was shut down. Water will be trucked in from the City of Shenandoah to Hamburg and a bottled water advisory is in effect for residents.
 
Further updates on these situations will be provided as soon as they become available.
 
MEDIA CONTACT: 

• Keith Wilken, DNR Environmental Specialist, (712) 250-8646, Keith.Wilken@dnr.iowa.gov
• Alex Murphy, DNR Director of Communications, (515) 729-7533, Alex.Murphy@dnr.iowa.gov
  

This year’s annual report forms are now available on the IUB website. Because of the delay in this year’s forms being available, the IUB has extended the deadline to submit the reports. Reports, which are usually due April 1, will be due by June 1 this year. For more information and to access the report forms, go to: https://iub.iowa.gov/records-information/file-utility-annual-report.